Birds & birdy events arrive

Migratory birds arriving and dozens of birdy events too!

Contact: Lisa Gaumnitz, SOS Save Our Songbirds coordinator, 608-235-2201; lisa.gaumnitz@sossaveoursongbirds.org

Kelsey Bell, Bird City Wisconsin program director, 414-533-5398; kbell@lmbo.org

A Northern Flicker flies during a massive wave of bird migration over the weekend of April 12-13

A massive wave of migratory birds, including this Northern Flicker, rode tailwinds to arrive in Wisconsin last weekend. Photo: Ryan Brady

MADISON - Heads up Wisconsin bird lovers! Migratory birds are returning to Wisconsin by the millions and so are dozens of events celebrating their herculean journeys.

“Birds are amazing and the return of so many favorites in April and May is a great time to celebrate them and do what we can to help them thrive,” says Karen Etter Hale, chair of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership, a collaboration of 180 groups committed to sustaining native bird populations.

Scores of events put on by communities, nature centers and bird groups are on tap this month and in May. Starting this week, novice and expert birdwatchers statewide set out for the Great Wisconsin Birdathon to see how many species they can find while raising money for priority bird projects in Wisconsin. The birdathon runs through June 15 and Etter Hale invites people to start a team, join a team or surprise a team with a donation big or small.

Also statewide, the second annual Fat Bird Week launches from its haunches May 2-9 celebrating Wisconsin’s chunky birds and ways to keep them healthy.

See below for a list of many other major bird happenings, and events planned for World Migratory Bird Day, May 10, and compiled by SOS Save Our Songbirds and Bird City Wisconsin. SOS is an initiative of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership.

Why you’re waking up to birdsong

Many short-distance migrants, such as Red-winged Blackbirds, American Robins, and Song Sparrows, returned from southern states and Mexico over the past few weeks and are now waking us with their dawn chorus.

Long-distance migrants, “neotropical migratory birds” that nest in the U.S. and Canada and winter in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean, are just starting to return.

Bobolinks, grassland birds that nest nearly statewide in Wisconsin, will fly for five or six weeks and more than 6,000 miles from Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Blackpoll Warblers, often sighted (or heard!) in Wisconsin as they travel to nesting grounds in Canada and Alaska, often make a nonstop 72-hour flight in fall, a feat of exertion the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center likens to a human running a 4-minute mile for 80 consecutive hours.

Check out the Smithsonian’s Neotropical Migratory Bird FAQs for more mindboggling insights into why these birds migrate and how they know where to go.

A map of the United States with different colors indicating when peak bird migration will occur in a region

BirdCast uses weather radar and other data to forecast peak migration dates and nights when bird traffic will be high and likely followed by good birdwatching, and dashboards with nightly migration statistics.

Average peak migration dates in southern Wisconsin are May 6 to May 9, and May 9 and 12 in northern Wisconsin, according to BirdCast.

Wisconsin DNR Conservation Biologist Ryan Brady says migration timing for 2025 “is pretty near average right now.”

“I expect that to continue given the mix of typical spring mix of ups and downs in the forecast,” he says. “Hummingbirds, orioles, and rose-breasted grosbeaks usually arrive the last days of April in southern part of state, give or take a few days. Not far off now!”

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird flies in the air

To keep up the blistering pace of their migratory flight, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds need the human equivalent of over 150,000 calories every day, according to John Hopkins Medicine. Photo: Ryan Brady

The vast majority of Wisconsin’s bird species are at least “partially migratory” — meaning at least some of their population migrates — while about 10 percent are nonmigratory, year-round residents including Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, American Crows, and Wild Turkeys, according to DNR records.

Wisconsin volunteers and other surveyors confirmed 226 bird species nesting in the state during the 2015-2019 Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas comprehensive survey. Another 200+ species have been documented in Wisconsin while enroute to or from nesting grounds elsewhere. Wisconsin eBird shows 465 species reported across all years in the database and 216 already reported this year.

World Migratory Bird Day events arriving for the whole family

A colorful artwork shows a variety of birds next to a home where the window is covered in a grid of dots to prevent bird collisions and a cat indoors looks out the window

This year’s World Migratory Bird Day theme highlights how governments, communities and individuals can aid bird conservation by reducing light pollution, adding bird habitat, and prevent bird collisions with windows.

Scores of communities recognized for their bird-friendly ways through the Bird City Wisconsin program will be hosting bird festivals in the next few weeks, including on May 10. That’s the day recognized globally as World Migratory Bird Day. Many birding organizations and nature centers will be holding events as well.

“There are currently 81 active Bird City communities in the state and that number is growing, says Kelsey Bell, who began earlier this year as Bird City Wisconsin’s program director.

“One of the requirements for communities to receive Bird City status is to host a World Migratory Bird Day event so we end up with events all across the state, border to border.

“The communities have creative freedom on what they do for this event so we have everything from a scavenger hunt in Waunakee, to a storybook trail in Lake Geneva, to bird counts in Eau Claire and bird banding demonstrations in Oshkosh. It’s inspiring to see the unique and creative ways they show off their Bird City status and promote bird conservation.”

Migration, when 60-70% of bird mortality occurs, is the most perilous time of a bird’s life. Storms, loss of stopover habitat, window collisions, power lines, outdoor cats and other predators are part of the gauntlet birds survive to reach Wisconsin.

World Migratory Bird Day activities and many other major events compiled by SOS Save Our Songbirds and Bird City Wisconsin follow by event date. Check your local nature center and local bird organizations for other offerings.

Tuesday, April 15-June 15

Great Wisconsin Birdathon opens with novice and expert birders seeing how many species they can find while raising money for the Bird Protection Fund of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and for their local bird projects. Start a team, join a team, surprise a team with a donation big or small.

Wednesday, April 23

Powered Up Baraboo’s Native Shrubs & Trees for Birds & Bees, 6:30 p.m., Carnegie-Schadde Memorial Public Library, 230 Fourth Avenue, Baraboo

Thursday, April 24

Fond du Lac’s World Migratory Bird Day with Amber Eschenbauch, kestrel researcher, 6-8 p.m., Fond du Lac Public Library, 32 Sheboygan Street, Fond du Lac

Friday-Saturday, April 25-26

Bird Fest in Green Lake, Town Square Community Center, 492 Hill Street, Green Lake

Saturday, April 26

Bird City Algoma’s World Migratory Bird Day, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1715 Division St., Algoma

Sunday, April 27

Madison Bird & Nature Festival, noon to 4 p.m., Warner Park Community Recreation Center, 1625 Northport Dr., Madison, WI

Thursday, May 1 – Monday, June 2

Waunakee World Migratory Bird Day Scavenger Hunt. Pick up a clue sheet starting May 1 at the library or village center and search for bird images hidden around the village for a chance to win a prize.

Friday, May 2-Friday, May 9

Fat Bird Week celebrates Wisconsin’s chunky native birds and shares how to help them! Every day people can vote online for their favorite bulbous bird from among eight contestants competing in a single elimination, bracket-style tournament.

Saturday, May 3

Wausau World Migratory Bird Day, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Marathon County Public Library Aquarium Room, 300 First Street, Wausau, WI 54403

Wings Over Alma Birding by Mini Train, 7:30 a.m.-Noon, with a warm brat lunch! Reserve your seat now.
Party for the Planet, Henry Vilas Zoo, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 702 S. Randall Ave., Madison
Oshkosh Bird Fest, 6 a.m. to noon, Shelter #1 (Kiwanis), 576 Pratt Trail, Menominee Park, Oshkosh

Friday-Saturday, May 9-10

20th Annual Bird & Wildlife Festival, North Lakeland Discovery Center, 14006 Discovery Lane, Manitowish Waters

Friday-Friday, May 9-18

Brew City Bird Festival in Milwaukee, various locations. Register for events.

Saturday, May 10

Crex Meadows Spring Festival in Grantsburg, events from 5.30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Registration for some events.

Manitowoc World Migratory Bird Day, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Lincoln Park Zoo, 1215 N 8th St., Manitowoc
World Migratory Bird Day celebration, Monona, 8 a.m.-noon, San Damiano Park, 4123 Monona Drive, Monona
McFarland Bird Festival, 9 a.m. to noon, Lewis Park Shelter, 5012 Highland Drive, McFarland
Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge Annual Birding Festival, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the refuge, W28488 Refuge Rd., Trempealeau
Wausau’s Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum hosts “Keeping a Bird Friendly Yard,” 1-2:30 p.m., at the museum, 700 North 12th Street, Wausau, WI, 54403

Friday-Monday, May 9-11

2025 Horicon Marsh Bird Festival, Horicon. Registration required for events.

Thursday-Sunday, May 16-18

Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Convention, Stoney Creek Hotel, Onalaska
Washington Islands Birding Festival. Registration deadline is May 5.

Saturday, May 17

Forest Exploration Center’s World Migratory Bird Day Celebration, 7:30-9 a.m., Wauwatosa
Lake Michigan Bird Observatory World Migratory Bird Day and Native Plant Sale, 9-1 p.m., Picnic Area 6, Upper Lake Park, 554 N Lake St Port, Port Washington, WI 53074.
Bird City Wisconsin Rapids joins Wisconsin Rapids Kiwanis annual Youth Outdoor Day, 9 a.m., Wood County South Park – Red Sands Beach for a fun and educational bird identification and binoculars activity for youth 8-16 and their parents.
Woodland Dunes Nature Center’s Bird Breakfast & Migration Celebration, 8-11 a.m., 3000 Hawthorne Ave, Two Rivers. Advance registration required.

Thursday-Saturday, May 22-24

Chequamegon Bay Birding & Nature Festival, Ashland. Registration required.

Tuesday, June 10

Bird City Wisconsin Rapids hosts a Birding by Ear event, 7 p.m. at Helen’s House at the Wisconsin Rapids Municipal Zoo, 1911 Gaynor Avenue, Wisconsin Rapids